Top Raspberry Pi Projects to Get You Started

The release of Raspberry Pi 4 made the popular board even more capable in different situations. Raspberry Pi on its own is an incredible platform, with projects of different kinds now available to beginners and enthusiasts alike. If you haven’t tried making something using the Raspberry Pi, now is the perfect time to get started.

There are some interesting projects you can try, too, including projects that utilize versions of Android as the base operating system. To help you get started with making things using the Raspberry Pi, here are some Pi projects you definitely need to check out.

A Pi File Server

A good Network Attached Storage or NAS makes storing files from multiple devices, including your phones and tablets, easy. You don’t have to rely on USB cables to download (or upload) files from your phone. You can also stream contents wirelessly when the NAS is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone.

Unfortunately, a good NAS is expensive, which is why making one yourself using Raspberry Pi is an interesting project to try. As long as you have a USB external drive already, you only need the Pi to get started. You can complete the entire project in a couple of hours and have a working NAS, which usually sets you back $300 or more, ready for use.

A Media Center

If you want to take things a step further, you can use a Raspberry Pi 3 or newer to build your own media center. I recommend using the Raspberry Pi 4, since the board now supports two displays and has a more capable processor. You can go the Android route and install the latest version of Android as your base operating system.

You can take this project to a whole new level by creating a custom enclosure for the media center. The protocase designer by Gumstix lets you build cool cases for your Raspberry Pi. Since the cases are custom-built, you can add additional modules, such as an AI assistant, to your Pi without cluttering your TV shelf.

Home Automation

Do you know that you can automate different things around the house using Raspberry Pi? With the help of a few relay circuits and APIs like the thingspeak, there are a lot of things you can automate around the house. You even have the option to add sensors and smart switches to create an entire smart home with the Pi at its core.

Custom modules from companies like Gumstix are also great additions to this project. Gumstix’s Chatterbox W5G is handy for adding support for artificial intelligence and voice commands. Yes, you can turn your light on and off using voice commands without paying the hefty price for an Amazon Echo smart speaker.

There are still so many other Pi projects you can try. You can build an entire retro arcade machine or game console using the same board. More importantly, you can reuse and repurpose components, including the board itself, for different projects. Sounds like a great hobby to get into, doesn’t it?